Portable device and method for controlling the same

ABSTRACT

A method for controlling a portable device is provided. The method includes detecting bending of the portable device and determining whether to perform motion sensing correction due to the bending; acquiring a motion sensing correction factor for performing the motion sensing correction due to the bending; performing motion sensing correction of at least one motion sensor using the motion sensing correction factor; and controlling the portable device according to the corrected motion sensing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable device, and moreparticularly, to a portable device including a flexible display and amethod for controlling the portable device.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Mobility has always been an important issue with regard to use ofelectronic devices. Not only cellular phones but also various otherportable electronic devices having performance comparable to desktopcomputers have entered the market recently. Such portable electronicdevices have been reduced in size and weight to allow users to use avariety of digital information while in motion.

The portable device performs various functions in addition to basicconventional functions such as data transmission and reception. Thus,the portable device needs to be able to be more easily and morecorrectly controlled by the user. Especially, recent portable devicesinclude various sensors to identify an operation of the device or anoperation performed for the device and to perform control correspondingto the identified operation. The degree of identification andsensitivity of sensors has increased along with development of suchtechnology.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a portable device anda method for controlling the same that substantially obviate one or moreproblems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a portable device and amethod for controlling the same which allow the user to more easily andmore correctly control the device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable deviceand a method for controlling the same wherein it is possible to performadditional control according to flexibility of the portable device whenthe portable device includes a flexible display or when the portabledevice is flexible.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, amethod for controlling a portable device includes detecting bending ofthe portable device and determining whether or not there is a need toperform motion sensing correction due to bending when the bending hasbeen detected, acquiring a motion sensing correction factor when thereis a need to perform motion sensing correction due to bending,correcting motion sensing of a motion sensor using the motion sensingcorrection factor, and controlling the portable device according to thecorrected motion sensing.

In another aspect of the present invention, a portable device includes abending sensor for detecting bending of the portable device, a motionsensor for sensing a movement of the portable device or a movement withreference to the portable device, and a controller for determiningwhether or not there is a need to perform motion sensing correction dueto the bending of the portable device when the bending has been detectedby the bending sensor, wherein the controller acquires a motion sensingcorrection factor when there is a need to perform motion sensingcorrection due to the bending, corrects motion sensing of the motionsensor using the motion sensing correction factor, and controls theportable device according to the corrected motion sensing of the motionsensor.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a portable device according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a display control operation of the portable deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a display control operation of a portable deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a control operation of a portable device according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flexible display or a flexible device according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a motion sensing operation of a flexible portabledevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a motion sensing operation of a flexible portabledevice according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a motion sensing operation of a flexible portabledevice according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flexible portable device according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a flexible portable device according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a method for acquiring motion sensing correctionfactors according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a method for acquiring motion sensing correctionfactors according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for correcting sensing of aportable device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anotherembodiment; and

FIG. 18 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Although most terms of elements in the present invention have beenselected from general ones widely used in the art taking intoconsideration functions thereof in the invention, the terms may bechanged depending on the intention or convention of those skilled in theart or the introduction of new technology. Some terms have beenarbitrarily selected by the applicant and their meanings are explainedin the following description as needed. Thus, the definitions of theterms used in the invention should be determined based on the wholecontent of this specification together with the intended meanings of theterms rather than their simple names or meanings.

Digital devices have been decreased in size through development ofelectronic device manufacturing technology. The present inventionrelates to mobile, portable electronic devices which will becollectively referred to as portable devices. Portable devices include avariety of mobile electronic devices, examples of which includeelectronic devices such as a cellular phone, a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), a laptop, a tablet PC, an MP3 player, a CD player, anda DVD player. In the following description, the portable devices mayalso be referred to as a device for short.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a portable device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portable device includes a storage unit 1010, acommunications unit 1020, a sensor unit 1030, an audio I/O unit 1040, acamera unit 1050, a display unit 1060, a power unit 1070, a processor1080, and a controller 1090.

The storage unit 1010 may store a variety of digital data such as video,audio, photographs, moving images, and applications. The storage unit1010 is one of a variety of digital data storage spaces such as a flashmemory, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a Solid State Drive (SSD).

The communications unit 1020 may perform communication with an externalentity using various protocols to transmit and/or receive data. Thecommunications unit 1020 may connect to an external network wirelesslyor by wire to transmit and/or receive digital data.

The sensor unit 1030 may identify user environments or user inputs usinga plurality of sensors provided in the portable device and deliver theidentified environments or user inputs to the controller 1090. Thesensor unit 1030 may include a variety of sensing means. For example,the plurality of sensing means may include a gravity sensor, ageomagnetic sensor, a motion sensor, a gyro sensor, an accelerationsensor, a inclination sensor, a brightness sensor, a height sensor, anodor sensor, a temperature sensor, a depth sensor, a pressure sensor, abending sensor, an audio sensor, a video sensor, a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) sensor, and a touch sensor. The sensor unit 1030, which isa term collectively referring to the variety of sensing means, may senseand deliver a variety of user inputs and user environments to allow thedevice to perform corresponding operations. The sensors may be includedas additional elements in the device or may be combined into at leastone element and included in the device.

The audio I/O unit 1040 may include an audio output means such as aspeaker and an audio input means such as a microphone and may performaudio input and audio output. The audio I/O unit 1040 may also be usedas an audio sensor.

The camera unit 1050 may capture still images and moving images and mayoptionally be provided in the device depending on the embodiment of thedevice. The camera unit 1050 may also be used as the motion sensor orthe video sensor.

The display unit 1060 may display an image on a screen. The display unit1060 may be used as the touch sensor when the display is a touch sensingdisplay and may be used as the bending sensor when the device isflexible.

The power unit 1070 may be a battery provided in the device or a powersource connected to an external power source and may supply power to thedevice.

The processor 1080 may execute a variety of applications stored in thestorage unit 1010 and may process data in the device.

The controller 1090 may control the units of the device and may managedata transmission and reception between the units.

The processor 1080 and the controller 1090 may be implemented as asingle chip to perform the operations described above together. Thissingle chip may be referred to as a controller 1090 in the followingdescription.

The elements of the portable device are shown as logically separateblocks in FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of the portable deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. The elements of thedevice may be mounted as a single chip or a plurality of chips in thedevice depending on design of the device.

Recently, the portable device may include a plurality of sensors whichcan identify a variety of motions of the device. Since the portabledevice can identify a variety of motions, the portable device may beused for various purposes other than the basic functions such as datatransmission and reception and display functions. For example, theportable device may be used as a remote control that controls anexternal device or a game pad, which can be used to enjoy a game, andvarious applications and various programs in association with motionsthat can be identified by the portable device have also been suggested.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portable device according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

The portable device may sense or identify movements of the device usingthe sensors as described above. The following is a description ofmovements that the device of FIG. 2 identifies using the sensorsincluded in the sensor unit of FIG. 1.

The portable device may include a gravity sensor. The gravity sensor isa sensor that senses gravity applied to the device to identify arotation state of the device. As shown in FIG. 2, when the devicerotates about an x axis or a y axis, the gravity sensor may deliver acorresponding electrical signal to the controller and the controller mayperform display/operation control according to rotation of the device.

The gravity sensor may also be used as a tilt angle sensor. The tiltangle sensor detects slope of the device with respect to the directionof gravity of the Earth and includes a sensor in which a pendulum ismounted in the direction of the angle input axis of the angle sensor. Inan embodiment, the tilt angle sensor may employ a displacement scheme inwhich the sensor outputs the angle of the pendulum, which indicates thedirection of gravity, from the reference axis and a torque balancescheme in which torque generated by applying an electric current to anelectric coil and torque generated by the slope of the pendulum arebalanced to allow the pendulum to always be located at the zeroposition.

The portable device may include a geomagnetic sensor. The geomagneticsensor may sense a magnetic field generated from the Earth to detectorientation of the device in the same manner as a compass. In FIG. 2,the geomagnetic sensor may sense orientation in the x-y plane and thedevice may perform display/operation control according to the sensedorientation.

The portable device may include an acceleration sensor. The accelerationsensor may process an output signal and measure acceleration, vibration,or applied force such as impact. That is, the acceleration sensor maysense a change of velocity in a specific direction and may output acorresponding electrical signal. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, theacceleration sensor can detect movement of the device in an arbitrarydirection. For example, when force is applied to the device, which isstationary or in motion, to accelerate the device in an arbitrarydirection, the acceleration sensor may sense the acceleration and outputa corresponding electrical signal and the device may performdisplay/operation control using the electrical signal. In an embodimentof the present invention, the acceleration sensor may sense accelerationor acceleration change in an arbitrary direction in the x, y, and zaxes.

The portable device may include a gyro sensor. The gyro sensor is asensor that indicates an angle of rotation of an object per unit time.That is, the gyro sensor senses the angular speed of an object. Whilethe acceleration sensor may sense acceleration and acceleration changein a linear direction, the gyro sensor may sense acceleration andacceleration change in a rotational direction. In the embodiment of FIG.2, when the device rotates about an arbitrary one of the x, y, and zaxes, the gyro sensor may sense and output the angular speed of rotationof the device and the device may perform display/operation control usingthe angular speed.

The sensors described above may be included in a handheld device and maysense motions of the device or motions with respect to the device. Eachof these sensors, which senses a motion of a user or an environment withrespect to the device and a motion of the device and generates acorresponding electrical signal, may be referred to as a motion sensor.In an embodiment, the sensors such as the geomagnetic sensor, theacceleration sensor, and the gyro sensor may be constructed into asingle chip to detect a motion of the device. In another embodiment, thesensors described above may be implemented as different chips and valuessensed by the sensors may be combined to detect a motion of the device.In this case, the sensors that sense motions of the device or motionswith respect to the device may also be collectively referred to as amotion sensor. In the following description, it is assumed for ease ofexplanation that the sensors described above are located at a singleposition of the device and the sensors are collectively referred to as amotion sensor.

FIG. 3 illustrates a display control operation of the portable deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3( a) illustrates an example in which an image is displayed on ascreen of a display provided on a front side of the device. While theimage is being displayed, the user may rotate the device in a clockwisedirection or in a counterclockwise direction as described above withreference to FIG. 2. Especially, when an image of a game application isbeing displayed, the user can control the direction of a vehicle withinthe image by rotating the device as when operating a car handle. In thiscase, if the image is rotated together with the device, userinconvenience is caused since the user cannot view the imagehorizontally.

Thus, the device may sense the slope and angular speed of the device andadjust the display according to the sensed slope and angular speed andalso reflect the sensed slope and angular speed in the game application.

FIG. 3( b) illustrates an example in which the user has rotated thedevice in a clockwise direction. The device may sense the rotated angleand angular speed of the device using the motion sensor and may displaythe image horizontally with respect to the user according to the sensedrotated angle and angular speed. That is, the displayed image is rotatedto the opposite direction by the same angle by which the device isrotated to allow the user to continue to view the horizontal imageregardless of rotation of the device. The device may also sense therotated angle and angular speed of the device and reflect the sensedrotated angle and angular speed in the game application. That is, thegame application that is being executed by the processor of the devicemay control a car within the game to be displayed such that the car isdriven according to the rotated angle and angular speed sensed by themotion sensor.

FIG. 3( c) illustrates an example in which the user has rotated thedevice in a counterclockwise direction. A detailed description of FIG.3( b) is omitted herein since it is similar to the description of FIG.3( a) except for the direction.

FIG. 4 illustrates a display control operation of a portable deviceaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4( a) illustrates an example in which an image is displayed on ascreen of a display provided on a front side of the device. While theimage is being displayed, the user may rotate the device in acounterclockwise direction as described above with reference to FIG. 2or may turn the device in an arbitrary direction.

FIG. 4( b) illustrates an example in which the device is rotated by 90degrees and FIG. 4( c) illustrates an example in which the device isrotated by 180 degrees in a clockwise direction or in a counterclockwisedirection. The device may sense the rotated angle of the device anddetect that the device has been turned over using the motion sensor. Thedevice may perform display control according to the rotated angle or inresponse to the turning of the device. That is, the device may rotate orinvert the displayed image to allow the user to view the imagehorizontally.

FIG. 5 illustrates a control operation of a portable device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

Although FIGS. 3 and 4 have been described with reference to an examplein which the device is rotated, the device may also move in a specificdirection as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5( a) illustrates an example in which the device moves to theright. The device may acquire the movement direction and acceleration ofthe device using the motion sensor and may control the elements of thedevice or an application using the acquired direction and acceleration.

The user may not move the device while holding the device in ahorizontal direction as shown in FIG. 5( a). For example, the user maymove the device to the right with the device being rotated by an angleof θ in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 5( b). In thiscase, the device may sense the rightward movement of the device as amovement in a rightward direction 5010 as originally intended or mayidentify the rightward movement of the device as a movement in anupward-right direction 5020 which is inclined by the angle θ.

In this case, the device needs to correct the sensed motion direction toa direction needed for the device or the application. For example, thedevice may identify only the horizontal movement as a user input commandin a current operating mode of the device or in a currently runningapplication. Here, the device may extract only an x-direction movementfrom the movement in the inclined direction 5020 and reflect thex-direction movement in operation of the device.

Thus, the device needs to use the sensed values after combining orcorrecting the values rather than directly using the sensed values. Forexample, the device corrects a sensed acceleration value using thesensed inclination angle and reflects the corrected value in operationof the device as shown in FIG. 5( b).

Values sensed by sensors, which are to be additionally corrected, and amethod for correcting the sensed values when the display or device isflexible are described below.

Recently, a flexible display has been commercialized and technologiesfor controlling operation of a device when a flexible display of thedevice is bent have been developed. In a flexible device, a substrate isalso made of a flexible substance to allow bending of the device itself.The substrate of the flexible device may be made of a metal foil, verythin glass, or a plastic substrate. Especially, when the substrate ofthe device is made of plastic, a PC substrate, a PET substrate, a PESsubstrate, a PI substrate, a PEN substrate, an AryLite substrate, or thelike may be used. A device which is partially or fully flexible, such asa device including a flexible display, a handheld device which isflexible, a device which is partially flexible, or a device including aflexible display which can be extended, may be simply referred to as adevice for ease of explanation.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flexible display or a flexible device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIGS. 6( a) to (d) illustrate various bent forms of aflexible display. FIGS. 6( a) to (d) may also illustrate a flexibleportable device which includes a flexible display. The followingdescription will be given with reference to a flexible portable deviceas an example.

Although the flexible portable device is illustrated in simple forms inFIG. 6 and subsequent figures, the device includes the same units asillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6( a) illustrates a flexible portable device which has not beenbent. The flexible portable device may be classified into a bendabledevice as shown in FIG. 6( a), a rollable device as shown in FIG. 6( c),and a foldable or paper-like device as shown in FIG. 6( d) depending onflexibility thereof.

In the case in which the device is bent as shown in FIGS. 6( b) to 6(d),an error may occur when the device operates according to sensing resultsof the motion sensor. Specifically, a different motion of the devicefrom an actually performed motion may be detected when a portion of thedevice including the motion sensor has been bent relative to the form ofthe device shown in FIG. 6( a).

FIG. 7 illustrates a motion sensing operation of a flexible portabledevice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 7 illustrates how the motion sensor senses a movementof the device when the user moves the device in an upward direction inthe z axis. The left part of FIG. 7 shows a bent form of the flexibledevice and the right part shows a motion of the flexible device which issensed and/or detected by the motion sensor while the device is bent. Inthis example, the motion sensor 7010 is located at a right lower portionof the device as shown in FIG. 7.

In the left parts of FIGS. 7( a) to 7(c), dotted arrows indicatereference directions of the motion sensor 7010. A long dotted arrowindicates a reference up-down direction of the motion sensor and a shortdotted arrow indicates a reference left-rightward direction of themotion sensor.

When the device moves in an upward direction in the z axis as shown inthe left part of FIG. 7( a), the motion sensor 7010 may sense a movementof the device in an upward direction in the z axis as shown in the rightpart of FIG. 7( a). However, due to bending, the motion sensor 7010 maysense a movement of the device in a different direction from the upwarddirection as shown in FIGS. 7( b) and 7(c).

First, when the flexible device is bent as shown in FIG. 7( b), themotion sensor may rotate by about 90 degrees in a counterclockwisedirection due to bending of the device. The reference direction of themotion sensor also changes as shown in FIG. 7( b). Accordingly, eventhough the device has moved in an upward direction in the z axis asshown in the left part of FIG. 7( b), the motion sensor may sense thedevice as moving in a rightward direction in the x axis as shown in theright part of FIG. 7( b).

In addition, when the flexible device is folded as shown in FIG. 7( c),the motion sensor may rotate by about 180 degrees in the y-axisdirection due to bending of the device. The reference direction of themotion sensor also changes as shown in FIG. 7( c). Accordingly, eventhough the device has moved in an upward direction in the z axis asshown in the left part of FIG. 7( c), the motion sensor may sense thedevice as moving in a downward direction in the z axis as shown in theright part of FIG. 7( c).

FIG. 8 illustrates a motion sensing operation of a flexible portabledevice according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 8 illustrates how the motion sensor senses a movementof the device when the user moves the device in a rightward direction inthe x axis. The left part of FIG. 8 shows a bent form of the flexibledevice and the right part shows a motion of the flexible device which issensed and/or detected by the motion sensor while the device is bent. Inthis example, the motion sensor 7010 is located at a right lower portionof the device as shown in FIG. 8.

In the left parts of FIGS. 8( a) to 8(c), dotted arrows indicatereference directions of the motion sensor 7010. A long dotted arrowindicates a reference up-down direction of the motion sensor and a shortdotted arrow indicates a reference left-rightward direction of themotion sensor.

When the device moves in a rightward direction in the x axis as shown inthe left part of FIG. 8( a), the motion sensor 7010 may sense a movementof the device in a rightward direction in the x axis as shown in theright part of FIG. 8( a). However, due to bending, the motion sensor7010 may sense a movement of the device in a different direction thanthe rightward direction as shown in FIGS. 8( b) and 8(c).

First, when the flexible device is bent as shown in FIG. 8( b), themotion sensor may rotate by about 90 degrees in a counterclockwisedirection due to bending of the device. The reference direction of themotion sensor also changes as shown in FIG. 8( b). Accordingly, eventhough the device has moved in a rightward direction in the x axis asshown in the left part of FIG. 8( b), the motion sensor may sense thedevice as moving in a downward direction in the z axis as shown in theright part of FIG. 8( b).

In addition, when the flexible device is folded as shown in FIG. 8( c),the motion sensor may rotate by about 180 degrees in the x-axisdirection due to bending of the device. The reference direction of themotion sensor also changes as shown in FIG. 8( c). Accordingly, eventhough the device has moved in a rightward direction in the x axis asshown in the left part of FIG. 8( c), the motion sensor may sense thedevice as moving in a rightward direction in the x axis as shown in theright part of FIG. 8( c).

FIG. 9 illustrates a motion sensing operation of a flexible portabledevice according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates how the motion sensor senses a movementof the device when the user rotates the device in a counterclockwisedirection about the y axis. The left part of FIG. 9 shows a bent form ofthe flexible device and the right part shows a motion of the flexibledevice which is sensed and/or detected by the motion sensor while thedevice is bent. In this example, the motion sensor 7010 is located at aright lower portion of the device as shown in FIG. 9.

In the left parts of FIGS. 9( a) to 9(c), dotted arrows indicatereference directions of the motion sensor 7010. A long dotted arrowindicates a reference up-down direction of the motion sensor and a shortdotted arrow indicates a reference left-rightward direction of themotion sensor.

When the device rotates in a counterclockwise direction about the y axisas shown in the left part of FIG. 9( a), the motion sensor 7010 maysense a rotation of the device in a counterclockwise direction about they axis as shown in the right part of FIG. 9( a). However, due tobending, the motion sensor 7010 may sense a rotation of the device in adifferent direction from the counterclockwise direction about the y axisas shown in FIGS. 9( b) and 9(c).

First, when the flexible device is bent as shown in FIG. 9( b), themotion sensor may rotate by about 90 degrees in a counterclockwisedirection due to bending of the device. The reference direction of themotion sensor also changes as shown in FIG. 9( b). The distance betweenthe motion sensor and the center of the device also decreases.Accordingly, even though the device has rotated by “A” in acounterclockwise direction about the y axis as shown in the left part ofFIG. 9( b), the motion sensor may sense the device as being rotated by“a” in a counterclockwise direction about the y axis as shown in theright part of FIG. 9( b).

In addition, when the flexible device is folded as shown in FIG. 9( c),the motion sensor may rotate by about 180 degrees in the y-axisdirection due to bending of the device. The reference direction of themotion sensor also changes as shown in FIG. 9( c). Accordingly, eventhough the device has rotated by “A” in a counterclockwise directionabout the y axis as shown in the left part of FIG. 9( c), the motionsensor may sense the device as being rotated in a clockwise directionabout the y axis as shown in the right part of FIG. 9( c).

As described above with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, the motion sensor mayincorrectly sense the motion of the flexible device when the device isbent. In this case, an error may occur when the device performsapplication control or display control using the conventional sensingscheme, leading to failure to provide a desired feedback to the user.Although the motion sensor is located at a right lower corner of thedevice in the examples of FIGS. 7 to 9, an error such as those of FIGS.7 to 9 may occur regardless of where the motion sensor is located in thedevice.

For example, although the user has bent part of the device and rotatedthe display screen in a clockwise direction, the screen may rotate in aclockwise direction such that the displayed image is inverted. Inaddition, although the user has rotated the device by “A” in anapplication such as a car driving game to turn the car around a curve by“A”, the car may turn in a curve only by “a” due to bending.

Accordingly, in the case of the flexible handheld device, there is aneed to correct such a sensing error due to bending.

The following is a description of a method for correcting a motionsensing error due to bending when a flexible portable device is bentaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention suggests a method in which a direction and aposition of a motion sensor to which an initial reference direction andposition of the motion sensor is changed due to bending of a device isacquired and reflected in motion sensing of the bent device. Theposition of the motion sensor which is changed due to bending may berepresented by a vector. In addition, a direction, a position, and thelike which need to be corrected since the motion sensor is affected bybending may be referred to as motion sensing correcting factors orcorrecting factors. In the following description, the motion sensingcorrecting factors may also be referred to as bending factors since itmay be considered that correction is needed since the motion sensor isaffected by bending.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flexible portable device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

To acquire the correcting vector as described above, there is a need todetect the direction of bending and the extent of bending. Accordingly,the flexible portable device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention includes a bending sensor.

That is, the flexible portable device includes a bending sensor that candetect the bending of the device. The bending sensor may also bereferred to as a bend sensor or a flex sensor.

As shown in FIG. 10, a sensor layer including a bending sensor may beprovided inside or below a display. The sensor layer that senses bendingmay also serve as the bending sensor. The bending sensor may includeelectrode patterns as shown in FIG. 10. Each electrode includes aresistive material. The resistance of the electrode changes depending onthe extent of bending such that current flowing through the sensor layeralso changes depending on the extent of bending. Accordingly, the devicecan detect where and how much bending has occurred by detecting changeof a current flowing in or voltage applied to the sensor layer.

As shown in the right part of FIG. 10, the number of electrodes that areaffected by bending increases as the extent of bending increases.Accordingly, the device may sense the extent of bending through changein the current and may then calculate a bending angle at a specificportion through the sensed extent of bending. The device may acquire thedistance and position of the bent part of the device according to thebending angle. The device may also acquire a direction change and aposition change of the motion sensor included in the bent part of thedevice according to the bending angle.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flexible portable device according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

A change of the bending sensor at the bent part of the device is shownin FIG. 11. It is assumed in the example of FIG. 11 that a right uppercorner of the flexible device is bent in a diagonal inner direction byan angle of 225 degrees.

When the device is bent in a diagonal inner direction as shown in FIG.11, the sensor layer senses bending in a direction perpendicular to thesurface of the bent portion as shown. Thus, it is possible to detect thedirection of bending by determining a distribution of electrodes thatare affected by bending in the sensor layer. In the case of FIG. 11,electrodes arranged in a dotted direction will be most greatly affectedby bending. Thus, using a distribution of such electrodes, the devicecan detect that bending has occurred in a direction perpendicular to anarray of the electrodes where bending is detected.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, a resistance change due to bending is indicated bycolor of the electrodes. A portion where greatest bending has occurredis indicated by a darkest color. In an embodiment, the device candetermine that a portion of the device has been bent along a direction(denoted by an arrow in FIG. 11) perpendicular to the array ofelectrodes where greatest bending has occurred.

The methods for detecting the extent of bending and the direction ofbending have been described above with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Themethods are merely examples and the extent of bending and the directionof bending can also be detected using a bending sensor different fromthat described above. The flexible device according to the presentinvention may detect the extent/degree of bending and the direction ofbending using any type of bending sensor and may acquire a bendingvector using the detected extent/degree of bending and direction ofbending.

In the case in which the motion sensor part of the device moves due tobending, the device needs to perform accurate device control. That is,when the motion sensor has sensed a motion, the device needs to performdevice control as needed according to the motion. When the motion hasoccurred due to bending, the device needs to perform device controltaking into consideration bending.

The influences of bending upon the motion sensor include a change in thedirection of the motion sensor and a change in the position of themotion sensor. The following is a description of a change in thedirection of the motion sensor and a change in the position of themotion sensor from among motion sensing correction factors.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method for acquiring motion sensing correctionfactors according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 12( a), the motion sensor can sense various motionswith reference to a reference direction. Here, it is possible to sense amotion of the device from a direction, in which the motion sensor islocated in the device, with reference to a reference direction that hasbeen set by default. Even when the angle between the device and theEarth's surface has changed, the angle can be calculated using thegravity sensor. However, in this case, the angle can be calculated onlywhen the reference direction or angle of the sensor has been set.Accordingly, when the flexible portable device has been bent due, thereis a need to correct a sensed motion according to the referencedirection or a change in the reference direction.

FIG. 12( b) illustrates that a reference direction of the sensor ischanged when the flexible portable device is bent. A portion (1) of thedevice shown in FIG. 12( b) does not include the motion sensor.Accordingly, in the case in which the portion (1) is bent, the devicemay perform control based on bending and does not need to correct thedirection of the motion sensor.

A portion (2) of the device of FIG. 12( b) includes the motion sensor.Accordingly, in the case in which the portion (2) is bent, the referencedirection of the motion sensor changes as shown in FIG. 12( b). In thiscase, when an operation is applied to the device, the device mayincorrectly identify the direction of the operation as described abovewith reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 and may perform control according to theincorrect direction. Accordingly, when the direction of the motionsensor has changed due to bending, the device needs to correct thedirection of the motion sensor and to perform control based on thecorrected direction.

The direction change of the motion sensor may be acquired by at leastone of the bending sensor and the motion sensor. That is, the directionchange of the motion sensor may be acquired using the direction andextent of bending sensed by the bending sensor as described above withreference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The direction change of the bending sensormay also be acquired using a change in the direction of the motionsensor which is sensed by the motion sensor. For example, a directionchange of the motion sensor may be acquired using a change in an angleat which the gravity sensor is used or using the slope sensor. Thedirection change of the motion sensor may also be acquired using boththe motion sensor and the bending sensor. The bending direction may bedetermined using the bending sensor and an angle change due to bendingmay be acquired using the motion sensor and a correct direction changeof the motion sensor may then be acquired using the bending directionand the angle change. Alternatively, the bending direction may bedetermined using the motion sensor such as a geomagnetic sensor and thebending angle may be acquired using the bending sensor and the directionchange of the motion sensor may then be acquired using the bendingdirection and the bending angle.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method for acquiring motion sensing correctionfactors according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Not only a change in the direction of the motion sensor but also achange in the position of the motion sensor may cause erroneous controlof the device as described above. Accordingly, when a portion of theflexible portable device including the motion sensor is bent, the deviceneeds to determine a change in the position of the motion sensor and toperform control according to the determined position change.

The position change of the motion sensor may be represented by a changein the reference position. In an embodiment, the reference position maybe the position of the sensor before bending or the position of aportion (central portion or inflexible portion) of the device which isunlikely to be bent or the position of which is unlikely to be changeddue to bending.

In FIG. 13, Vector_sensor (V_sensor) denotes a change of the position ofthe motion sensor due to bending with respect to the position of themotion sensor before bending. Vector_ref (V_ref) denotes a change in theposition of the motion sensor due to bending with respect to thereference position when the reference position is the position of thecentral portion of the device.

The position change of the motion sensor may be acquired using at leastone of the motion sensor and the bending sensor. For example, once achange in the angle of a portion of the device due to bending isdetermined using the bending sensor, the device can determine a changein the position of the motion sensor using the bending position, thebending angle, and the size of the device. The device may also determinethe changed position of the motion sensor by calculating the movementand distance of the motion sensor using the gyro sensor, the slopesensor, the geomagnetic sensor, and the like together with the motionsensor. The device may also determine the position change of the motionsensor using both the motion sensor and the bending sensor.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for correcting sensing of aportable device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 14 illustrates a method for correcting a sensingerror of a motion sensor that has occurred due to bending of a flexibleportable device.

First, the device detects whether bending of the device has occurred(S14010).

Sensing of the motion sensor need not always be reflected in control ofthe device. For example, when the device is off or when device motionsensing cannot be reflected in an application that is being executed,the motion sensor may be turned off or sensing by the motion sensor maybe ignored even when the motion sensor has performed sensing. However,an undesired change may occur in motion sensing due to bending occurringbefore or when the device is controlled according to motion sensing.Thus, to reflect motion sensing, it is necessary to determine whether ornot bending has occurred before reflecting motion sensing. For example,when a motion has been sensed although bending has not occurred in thedevice, the device needs to be controlled according to the sensedmotion. When bending has occurred in the device, the device determineswhether or not there is a need to perform control according to bending.Thus, the device first determines whether or not bending has occurred inthe device. Whether or not bending has occurred in the device may bedetected using the bending sensor. The device may also perform device orapplication control based on bending of the device. The motion sensormay refer to the sensor unit above-mentioned.

As described above, the motion sensor and sensing results of the motionsensor described above also include sensors, which can identify a motionof the device or a motion with respect to the device, and sensingresults of the sensors. The sensing results may include at least one ofa position change, an orientation change, a direction change, a speedchange, an acceleration change, and an angular speed change of thedevice. The sensing results may also include sensing results of othersensors described as an example in this specification.

The device determines whether to perform correction of sensing of themotion sensor due to bending (S14020). As described above, when thedevice does not use sensing of the motion sensor, for example, when thedevice is off, there is no need to perform correction of sensing of themotion sensor due to bending. When a portion of the device, which is notassociated with motion sensing (for example, the portion (1) of FIG. 12(b)) is bent, there is also no need to perform correction of sensing ofthe motion sensor. Accordingly, the device determines whether or notthere is a need to perform motion sensing correction due to bending andmay perform device control according to sensing of the motion sensorwithout correction upon determining that there is no need to performmotion sensing correction. Of course, the device may perform devicecontrol based on bending.

The device may determine whether or not there is a need to correctsensing of the motion sensor using at least one of the bending sensorand the motion sensor. For example, when the bending sensor has notsensed bending although the motion sensor is performing motion sensing,the device may perform control according to the sensed motion.Alternatively, when the motion sensor does not perform motion sensingalthough the bending sensor has sensed bending, the device may determinethat a portion of the device which does not include the motion sensorhas been bent and thus may perform device control according to sensingof the motion sensor without sensing correction. The device may alsodetermine whether or not there is a need to perform sensing correctionaccording to the application or the operating state and mode of thedevice.

The device acquires motion sensing correction factors for performingmotion sensing correction due to bending (S14030).

The motion sensing correction factors include a numerical value, asignal, data, and information which are required for motion sensingcorrection due to bending of the device as described above. In anembodiment, the motion sensing correction factors may include at leastone of a direction change and a position change of the motion sensor dueto bending of the device. These changes take the form of a numericalvalue, a signal, data, and information and can be acquired by thesensor, the controller, or the application.

Specifically, the motion sensing correction factors may be acquiredusing at least one of a motion sensor and a bending sensor. For example,it is possible to acquire a direction change of the motion sensor due tobending using the motion sensor and to acquire a position change of themotion sensor due to bending using the bending sensor. It is alsopossible to acquire a position change of the motion sensor due tobending using the motion sensor and to acquire a direction change of themotion sensor due to bending using the bending sensor. It is alsopossible to acquire a position change and a direction change of themotion sensor due to bending using the motion sensor and to acquire aposition change and a direction change of the motion sensor due tobending using the bending sensor. The device may also calculate themotion sensing correction factors using a sensing result output from atleast one of the motion sensor and the bending sensor through thecontroller. For an additional description of acquisition of motionsensing correction factors, reference can be made to the abovedescription of FIGS. 10 to 13.

The device can correct sensing of the motion sensor using the motionsensing correction factors (S14040).

Specifically, the device may correct sensing which is currently beingperformed by the motion sensor or sensing which is to be newly performedby the motion sensor using the motion sensing correction factorsacquired as described above.

In an embodiment, the device may correct sensing of the motion sensor byresetting at least one of the reference direction and the referenceposition of the motion sensor. For example, when the reference directionor the reference position of the motion sensor has been changed, thedevice may change the sensing references of the motion sensor to thechanged direction and position. Thereafter, the device can directly usesensing of the motion sensor.

In another embodiment, the device may correct the sensing result of themotion sensor using previously acquired motion sensing correctionfactors. Unlike the above embodiment, since additional bending may oftenoccur, only the motion sensing correction factors may be acquiredwithout resetting reference values of the sensors, the motion sensingresult may be corrected using the acquired motion sensing correctionfactors, and the device may then be controlled using the correctedmotion sensing result.

The device may correct the sensing result of the motion sensor bydirectly controlling the motion sensor and may also correct the sensingresult of the motion sensor using a sensing result of the motion sensorthrough the controller or the application.

The device may perform device control according to a sensing result ofthe motion sensor (S14050).

Here, the sensing result of the motion sensor indicates a correctedsensing result of the motion sensor. That is, in one embodiment, in thecase in which the sensing references of the motion sensor have beencorrected, the corrected sensing result of the motion sensor indicates aresult of sensing using the corrected sensing references and, in anotherembodiment, in the case in which the sensing result of the motion sensorhas been corrected, the corrected sensing result of the motion sensorindicates the corrected sensing result. The device may perform devicecontrol according to sensing results of various motion sensors asdescribed above. The device may perform device control according to asensing result of the motion sensor without correcting sensing of themotion sensor when the device has not been bent or when the device hasbeen bent without affecting sensing of the motion sensor.

By controlling the flexible device in this manner, it is possible toprevent the occurrence of a motion sensing error due to bending of theflexible device or prevent malfunction of the device due to the motionsensing error.

The control method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14 may be performed bythe controller of the device using at least one of the sensors (thebending sensor, the motion sensor, and the like) provided in the device.The control method of FIG. 14 may also be performed by an applicationthat is running on the controller. That is, an application running onthe controller may perform the control method by controlling the sensorsincluded in the device, sensing or sensing results of the sensorsthrough the controller.

FIG. 15 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 15 illustrates display control of a flexible portabledevice. As shown in FIG. 15( a), the device may include a motion sensor15010 at a right upper portion of the display and may also include abending sensor, although not illustrated. The following is a descriptionof how the device performs display control when a right upper portion ofthe device shown in FIG. 15( a) is bent or folded.

FIG. 15( b) illustrates the case in which the sensing correction methodof the present invention is not used. The direction of the sensor haschanged due to bending of the motion sensor. Here, the device maydetermine that the device has moved and thus may change the screen axisof the display. However, sensing of the motion sensor in this case hasresulted from bending rather than motion of the device. Thus,considerable user inconvenience is caused since the display axis haschanged although the user has bent a corner of the device without movingthe device.

FIG. 15( c) illustrates the case in which the sensing correction methodof the present invention is used. In the case of FIG. 15( c), the devicemay detect bending and may determine that a sensing result of the motionsensor has been generated due to bending and may then correct thesensing result accordingly. The state of the display remains unchangedsince the device performs device control according to the correctedsensing result. Thereafter, even when the device is rotated as shown inFIG. 15( d), the device corrects an error due to bending of the deviceand then changes the display axis in response to rotation of the deviceas shown in FIG. 15( d), thereby maintaining the optimal display state.

FIG. 16 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment in which another deviceis controlled using the flexible portable device. Recently, variouslocal wireless communication standards such as Bluetooth have beendeveloped to allow the user to control another electronic device using ahandheld device such as a cellular phone. More specifically, FIG. 16illustrates an embodiment in which the user controls a display devicesuch as a monitor of a computer or a television using a flexibleportable device as a remote control or a remote mouse.

In the embodiment of FIG. 16, a cursor of the television monitor movesaccording to movement of the portable device. In this case, the flexibleportable device may be bent before or while the device is used. Tocorrectly control another electronic device connected to the flexibleportable device, it is necessary to correctly identify a motion of theportable device even when the portable device has been bent.Accordingly, even when the flexible portable device has been bent, it ispossible to correctly control an electronic device such as a televisionconnected to the flexible portable device by correcting an error due tobending using the sensing correction method suggested in the presentinvention. That is, even when the portable device is bent while orbefore the portable device moves horizontally to the right as shown inFIG. 16, it is possible to generate and transmit a control signal formoving a cursor in the intended right horizontal direction on the screenof the television without causing an error regardless of where themotion sensor is included in the device.

In addition, while the external device is controlled using the portabledevice, a slope change of the portable device may occur as describedabove with reference to FIG. 5 together with bending of the device asshown in FIG. 16. In this case, the portable device may simultaneouslycorrect the effects of the slope change and bending. When a slopechange, which is not associated with an input of movement in an intendeddirection, is sensed using the motion sensor, the portable device maycorrect the slope change or angle and additionally correct a sensingchange of the motion sensor due to bending. Especially, in this case,the portable device needs to determine whether a slope change or thelike sensed by the motion sensor is due to bending or due to motion.When the change sensed by the motion sensor of the device is due tomotion, the device may perform the operation of step S14050 of theflowchart of FIG. 14. When the change sensed by the motion sensor of thedevice is due to both bending and motion, the device may perform theentire procedure of the flowchart of FIG. 14. Here, an operation forcorrecting slope change of the motion sensor or the like may be includedin the device control operation of step S14050.

The device control method of FIG. 14 may further include the step ofcorrecting a motion which is unnecessary to control another device whenthe motion has been detected in the embodiment of FIG. 16. Specifically,in the case in which moving the device in a specific direction serves asan input command as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the devicecontrol method of FIG. 14 may further include the step of correcting anincorrectly input command such as rotation other than a movement inputof the device to a correct input command. Even when the userinvoluntarily rotates or bends the portable device while moving theportable device, it is possible to correct the effects of bending andcorrect such an involuntary motion such as rotation according to themethod of FIG. 14 and to generate and transmit a control signalaccording to movement of the device in a direction desired by the user.

FIG. 17 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anotherembodiment.

Specifically, FIG. 17 illustrates a flexible portable device that usesan augmented reality application. As a field of virtual reality,augmented reality provides an interface that overlays a virtual objector information onto a real environment to allow the virtual object to beperceived as an object present in a real environment.

As shown in FIG. 17( a), when the user directs a handheld device towarda street after executing an augmented reality application, the devicemay display an image of the street in an overlapping manner on a displayusing a camera. When the display is transparent, content of theapplication may overlap with an appearance of the street which isdisplayed on the transparent display using the camera. That is, an imagecaptured through the camera is identified and surrounding information ofthe image acquired using position information and direction informationacquired by the device is displayed so as to overlap with the identifiedimage. The flexible portable device can be used while bending a portionof the display as described above.

When the augmented reality application is used, it is possible tovisually provide the user with position information of a service ofinterest using the display and position information that the device hasacquired using the motion sensor. In the example of FIG. 17( a), theflexible portable device 17010 is positioned such that the camera isdirected towards building A and building B. When a service or locationdesired by the user is shopping or a restaurant, the flexible portabledevice 17010 provides information regarding the building. In the exampleof FIG. 17( a), the device 17010 displays a restaurant “D's Cook” asbuilding A and a shopping center as building B.

While the flexible portable device 17010 is used, the user mayvoluntarily or involuntarily bend the device as shown in FIGS. 17( b)and 17(c). When sensing of the motion sensor such as a position sensoror a direction sensor has changed due to bending, the device maydetermine that the direction of the device has changed even though thedirection in which the camera of the device is directed has not actuallychanged. However, building A and building B are still displayed sincethe primary direction of the device has not actually changed.

FIG. 17( b) illustrates a flexible portable device 17020 on whichbuilding A and building B are still displayed. In the case of FIG. 17(b), the motion sensor may sense that the direction of the device 17020has rotated to the right due to bending of the device. The device 17020may determine that the device has rotated to the right and thus maydisplay position information, which is to be displayed when the devicehas rotated to the right, on the display such that the positioninformation overlaps with building A and building B. Thus, the device17020 may allow different building information to overlap with buildingA and building B in which the device is actually directed. That is, thedevice may determine that the direction of the device has rotated andmay allow information of building B to overlap with building A andinformation of another building to overlap with building B on thedisplay, thereby causing considerable user inconvenience.

FIG. 17( c) illustrates a flexible portable device 17030 that uses asensing correction method according to the present invention. In thecase of FIG. 17( c), building A and building B are still displayed sincethe primary direction of the device 17030 has not actually changed. Whenthe device 17030 has been bent, the device determines that a sensedmotion of the device is due to bending and thus does not perform devicecontrol according to the motion as in the case of FIG. 17( b). When thesensed motion of the device is due to bending, the device 17030 correctsthe motion due to bending according to the method of the flowchart ofFIG. 14 and performs device control according to the corrected motion.Accordingly, the device 17030 does not perform an erroneous operation asin the case of FIG. 17( b) and thus can provide information desired bythe user as shown in FIG. 17( c) and can also perform, when a motion ofthe device 17030 is sensed, control according to the sensed motion.

FIG. 18 illustrates a control operation of a device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 18( a) illustrates a flexible portable device 18010in which a position and direction based application is being executed.In FIG. 18, a constellation application that displays a constellation,which is present in the same direction as the direction from the user tothe device, is illustrated as an example of the position and directionbased application.

As described above, the device may determine the position, direction,and angle of the device using the motion sensor. For example, the devicemay determine a position of the user on the Earth using the GPS sensorand may determine the orientation of the device or user using thegeomagnetic sensor. The device may also determine the angle between thedevice and the Earth's surface using the gravity sensor or the slopesensor. Thus, using the constellation application, the device 18010 maydisplay, to the user, a constellation that is located at a position thatthe user currently indicates using the device as shown in FIG. 18( a).When the direction or angle of the device 18010 has changed, the device18010 may identify the motion of the device and display a constellationlocated at coordinates that have changed accordingly.

FIGS. 18( a) and 18(c) illustrate the case in which the user voluntarilyor involuntarily bends the device on which a constellation applicationis being executed.

In an example, the device may be bent as shown in FIG. 18( b) such thata right side of the device, where a geomagnetic sensor that sensesorientation is provided, is also bent. In this case, the device maydetermine that the orientation of the device has changed although thedirection or orientation in which the user directs the display has notchanged. Accordingly, in this case, the device 18020 may determine thatthe device 18020 has moved to the right side of the direction originallyintended by the user and thus may display a constellation located at theright side. However, the same image as that shown in FIG. 18( a) shouldbe displayed since the device 18020 has merely been bent withoutchanging the primary direction of the device 18020.

FIG. 18( c) illustrates the case in which a sensing correction methodaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is used. In theexample of FIG. 18( c), the user also voluntarily or involuntarily bendsthe device 18030. In this case, the device 18030 determines whether amotion sensed by the geomagnetic sensor is due to bending or due to amotion of the device. Accordingly, when bending has occurred as shown inFIG. 18( c), the device determines that the direction of the device haschanged due to bending rather than due to motion of the device and thuscorrects the change of the direction as described above with referenceto FIG. 14. Accordingly, the device can display the constellation at thesame coordinates as in the case of FIG. 18( a) without changing thedisplay as in the case of FIG. 18( b). When a motion is sensed as theuser has moved the device 18030 with the device being bent, the devicemay correct (or negate) the effects of bending and perform devicecontrol according to the motion of the device as described above withreference to FIG. 14. Accordingly, the device 18030 can display aconstellation located at coordinates in the correct direction of thedevice as the device moves while the device is bent.

In the case in which the flexible portable device provides services asshown in FIGS. 15 to 18, the device control operation described withreference to FIGS. 15 to 18 is added to the device control operation inthe method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14.

For example, in the case of FIG. 15, the device corrects a sensingresult of the motion sensor such that the sensing result of the motionsensor indicates a change in the direction of the device. Accordingly,the device rotates the direction of the display according to thedirection of rotation of the device determined according to thecorrected sensing result of the motion sensor as described above withreference to FIG. 15, thereby allowing the user to view the same imageeven when the device rotates.

In the case of FIG. 16, the device corrects sensing of the motion sensorsuch that the corrected sensing result of the motion sensor indicates amovement of the device in a horizontal direction (arrow direction). Thatis, when the device is bent before or while the device moves in ahorizontal direction, the device acquires motion sensing correctionfactors due to bending and corrects sensing of the motion sensor usingthe acquired correction factors. The device may then negate the effectsof bending of the device according to the corrected sensing result ofthe motion sensor and transmit a television control signal according tothe horizontal movement of the device. In addition, even when a motionsuch as rotation other than the horizontal movement has been sensed, thedevice can correct the sensed motion to a motion required for a controloperation, which is being performed, and transmit a control signalaccording to the horizontal movement of the device.

In the case of FIG. 17, a portion of the device different from thatshown in FIG. 17 may be bent. Specifically, bending may change the angleof the camera or may affect a direction of the device sensed by themotion sensor. When the device is bent before or while the augmentedreality application is executed, the device may acquire motion sensingcorrection factors due to bending and may correct the sensing result ofthe motion sensor using the acquired correction factors. Accordingly,even when the device is bent, the device can provide display requiredfor the augmented reality application without generating an error due tobending.

In the case of FIG. 18, a portion of the device different from thatshown in FIG. 18 may be bent. Even when the different portion of thedevice is bent before or while the application is executed, the devicemay acquire motion sensing correction factors due to bending and correctthe sensing result of the motion sensor using the acquired correctionfactors. Accordingly, even when the device is bent, the device canperform motion sensing required for the application and execute anddisplay the application without an error.

According to the present invention, even when a flexible portable deviceis bent while the device is being used, it is possible to correct anerroneous operation of the device due to bending. Specifically, adevice, which includes various motion sensors, can correctly performdevice control and application control using the motion sensors evenwhen the device is bent.

As is apparent from the above description, the embodiments of thepresent invention have a variety of advantages. For example, a portabledevice including a flexible display or a flexible portable device can becorrectly operated and controlled even though the portable device isflexible.

Specifically, even when the flexible portable device is bent, theflexible portable device can be correctly operated by correcting theeffects of bending.

The present invention can be partially or fully applied to an electronicdevice.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, itis intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a portable device, themethod comprising: detecting, by the portable device, that bending of atleast one portion of the portable device has occurred, the portabledevice including at least one motion sensor configured to detect amovement of the portable device; determining whether motion sensingcorrection of the bent portable device is necessary by detecting whetherthe at least one bent portion of the portable device affects motionsensing of the at least one motion sensor; acquiring at least one motionsensing correction factor for performing the motion sensing correctiondue to the bending based on the determination result; performing motionsensing correction of the at least one motion sensor using the at leastone motion sensing correction factor; and carrying out an operation inthe bent portable device according to the corrected motion sensing ofthe at least one motion sensor when the determination result indicatesthat the motion sensing correction is necessary or according touncorrected motion sensing of the at least one motion sensor when thedetermination result indicates that the motion sensing correction is notnecessary.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least onemotion sensing correction factor includes at least one of a directionchange and a position change of the at least one motion sensor due tothe bending of the portable device.
 3. The method according to claim 1,wherein the performing the motion sensing correction of the at least onemotion sensor includes: resetting a sensing reference of the at leastone motion sensor using the at least one motion sensing correctionfactor; and performing motion sensing according to the reset sensingreference.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performingthe motion sensing correction of the at least one motion sensorincludes: performing motion sensing; and correcting a result of themotion sensing using the at least one motion sensing correction factor.5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensing includesat least one of sensing of a position change, a slope change, anorientation change, a direction change, a speed change, an accelerationchange, and an angular speed change of the portable device.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the controlling the bent portabledevice according to the corrected motion sensing includes controlling adisplay of the portable device according to a rotation of the portabledevice sensed by the portable device.
 7. The method according to claim1, wherein the controlling the bent portable device according to thecorrected motion sensing includes transmitting a control signal of anexternal device according to a movement of the portable device sensed bythe portable device.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecontrolling the bent portable device according to the corrected motionsensing includes controlling an application that is being executed bythe portable device according to the motion sensing.
 9. A portabledevice comprising: a bending sensor configured to detect that bending ofat least one portion of the portable device has occurred; at least onemotion sensor configured to detect a movement of the portable device;and a controller configured to determine whether motion sensingcorrection of the bent portable device is necessary by detecting whetherthe at least one bent portion of the portable device affects motionsensing of the at least one motion sensor, wherein the controlleracquires at least one motion sensing correction factor for performingthe motion sensing correction due to the bending, and corrects motionsensing of the at least one motion sensor using the at least one motionsensing correction factor, and wherein the controller carries out anoperation in the portable device according to the corrected motionsensing of the motion sensor when the motion sensing correction isnecessary or according to uncorrected motion sensing of the motionsensor when the motion sensing correction is not necessary.
 10. Theportable device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one motionsensing correction factor includes at least one of a direction changeand a position change of the at least one motion sensor due to thebending of the portable device.
 11. The portable device according toclaim 9, wherein the controller resets a sensing reference of the atleast one motion sensor using the at least one motion sensing correctionfactor and controls the at least one motion sensor to perform the motionsensing according to the reset sensing reference.
 12. The portabledevice according to claim 9, wherein, when the at least one motionsensor performs the motion sensing, the controller corrects a result ofthe motion sensing using the at least one motion sensing correctionfactor.
 13. The portable device according to claim 9, wherein the atleast one motion sensor includes at least one of a GPS sensor, a slopesensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a gravity sensor, a gyro sensor, and anacceleration sensor.
 14. The portable device according to claim 9,further comprising a display, wherein the controller controls thedisplay of the portable device according to a rotation of the portabledevice sensed by the portable device.
 15. The portable device accordingto claim 9, wherein the controller transmits a control signal of anexternal device according to a movement of the portable device sensed bythe portable device.
 16. The portable device according to claim 9,wherein the controller controls an application that is being executed bythe portable device according to the motion sensing.